Strange World
by Leiamoody of Ysonesse
Summary: A visitor from the Afterlife records a sweet interlude between Han and Leia.


The voices of squealing children tumbled end over note down the narrow street, assaulting The Recorder's temporarily assumed aural senses.

This was not an urgent mission. Those In Charge of the Universal Archives kept an ongoing record of daily affairs in the Living World, and some among them (including an Intercessor) were particularly interested in the ongoing relationship between Princess Leia Organa and Captain Han Solo. The Recorder's superiors tried to make it understand the complicated nature of the relationship between Princess Organa and Captain Solo. They were often argumentative toward each other, yet unspoken romantic feelings were hidden between every insult. It was illogical that communication among humans was inevitably doomed to needless circumvention. But the questionable art of prevarication held some appeal because it was easier to hide under the cover of subterfuge.

The Recorder caught the sound of two distinctive voices rising up from one of the quadrangles located in the northern section of the city. It was time to move.

Getting from one place to another could be a tricky affair for mortals. But The Recorder wasn't constrained by such barriers of flesh and blood. The spectral visitor dissolved…milliseconds passed while The Recorder moved down a long tunnel made of shadow and light…then it arrived at the appointed spot.

The Recorder assembled itself back into a proper apparitional form. After the last atom locked into place, the archivist noticed it was standing in the center of a marketplace. High above in the sky, the planet's solar body was several degrees off the noon ascendant.

Here in the Grand Market, all kinds of items could be found; wildflowers, hyperdrive components, vegetables, scurrilous holos. But those offerings were not worthy of The Recorder's consideration, unless they somehow became important to Solo and Organa.

The Recorder concentrated long enough for a small crystalline orb to materialize in its right hand. The memory sphere was a device created to hold an infinite amount of data intended for the Universal Archives. All living sentients were actors in the daily life of the universe, and every individual was recorded for posterity and stored in the Archives. In its palm, a swirl of rose and silver manifested at the memory sphere's center, then merged to form a star; the orb was now recording.

The subjects of his study entered the central square from a doorway. To study every nuance of a renowned figure's daily life, in moments both private and public, meant that a researcher could better understand why certain people moved through the universe almost untouched by the vagaries of reality. Solo and Organa were two brilliant examples of that standard.

A chorus of chirps and whistles rang out across the marketplace. The princess and her companion had passed by a display of mechanical birds. The humans stopped walking and stared at the display while the stall keeper rushed to quiet the raucous automatons.

"How the hells did that happen?" Solo asked.

She laughed. "Motion detectors in the birds catch anyone walking nearby."

He glared at the mechanical noisemakers. "Somebody ought to put a couple of thermal detonators in there."

"You would not dare," the proprietor told Solo.

Her Highness stepped forward, but only after casting a warning glance at her companion. "Of course he would never damage your merchandise." She placed a guiding hand on the man's shoulder. "Let's go before you irritate somebody else," she whispered.

Solo's countenance appeared irritated, given the parameters of that particular emotion as understood by The Recorder. "Hey, don't tell me how to act. I offered to bring you here."

Organa somehow managed to moderate her reaction to his indignation. It normally seemed easier for the pair to remain locked in verbal combat rather than push aside those differences. But this moment elicited a rare manifestation of patience from her. "You could really be nice if you would just keep moving. We're supposed to be keeping a low profile."

The Corellian looked at her like he wanted to make some kind of retort, but in another unusual gesture, simply nodded. He allowed himself to be led away from the stall, and the couple blended back into the crowd.

What reason did Solo have for making the princess angry? Was it some courtship ritual instituted by the Corellians? Perhaps this behavior was something unique to Solo.

The Recorder spotted the pair standing near a fruit seller's alcove. Solo reached into a bin stuffed with brightly tinted citrus oddities, while Organa was engaged in some kind of dialogue with the fruit merchant. The smuggler plucked something from a cart near the citrus bin, then dropped a coin into a bucket attached to the cart. In his right hand was a perfectly formed Ithorian rose, delicate and blue. When she finished her interaction with the merchant and turned around, Solo presented his gift.

The princess glanced down at the blossom. "Why are you giving this to me?"

He shrugged. "Peace offering."

Organa touched one of the sky blue petals. "I've already forgotten what happened."

"If you'd really forgotten, then it wouldn't have just popped into your head." Solo grinned. "It comes out of your mouth after the words already formed in your mind first."

She laughed. "Maybe it's something in the atmosphere."

He reached up with his left hand and tucked the rose behind her ear. "There you go."

Brown eyes met hazel, then she smiled. "Thanks."

Solo nodded at her floral accessory. "Gonna keep it there all day?"

"Does it look ridiculous?"

"No, you look-"

"Adequate?"

"Nice."

The Recorder detected some abashment from the man who usually never lacked for words. Yet another permutation in his character that had to be analyzed by others trained in understanding the human condition. Perhaps those same workers might also interpret the odd behavior of this pair. While it was intriguing to see them interact in a civilized manner, this cozy mode of interaction was unusual.

But that was for later, after The Recorder crossed back into the Archives. The next several hours would be filled with other examples of strange behavior from this strange couple in this strange world.


End file.
